Damyns Hall
DAMYNS HALL: Private airstrip, later private airfield
Note: Pictures by the author unless specified.
Operations: 1969 to 2004: Mr John Watt
Post 2004: Mr Timothy Lyons t/a Damyns Hall Aerodrome
Flying Club: Metropolitan Police Microlight Club
Note: In around 2016 the famous Tiger Club moved here from LASHENDEN in KENT.
Flying schools: Learn-to-Fly, Microlight Sport Aviation and Rochester Microlights
Location: On minor road joining the B1421 & B1335 roads, 2nm S of Upminster
Period of operation: 1969 to -
Runways: Originally 03/21 grass (extended to approx 650m in 2010)
Second runway, approx N/S 400 (?) grass added in 2008/9
NOTES: It appears that Mr Watt was originally using a field nearby and that might have operated from the 1950s?
In the mid 1970s four aircraft were apparently based here; Druine D.31 Turbulent G-ARBL, the Morane Saulnier M.S.892A Rallye Commodore 150 both registered to Mr J D Watt, MBB-209 Monsun G-AZTA registered to the Thames Estuary Flying Group and the Piper PA-28 Cherokee 180 G-BBEC.
MICROLIGHTS
I was told that microlights first appeared here in the 1970s and in later years these three-axis types form the majority of aircraft based here. Powered kites and model flying also takes place, the latter since 2010. It is the only privately owned GA aerodrome in Greater London. Since 2004 many events have been held here, as well as location filming – the biggest annual event is surely the Military Vehicle Trust ‘Military & Flying Machines’ show held in August.
PERSONAL MEMORIES
It was always my intention to arrange to land here but I never got around to it. This is a problem often encountered by many pilots, and that is, having taken off to fly much further afield, there is a reluctance to land at airfields sitiuated relatively nearby. My only visit to DAMYNS HALL came about when delivering the Vans RV.9A (G-PLAR) in my truck in November 2011.
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